“I’m sensing some animosity. I HELPED YOU TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND!”, she said it with a smirk, but there was some truth behind it. In my defense, I wasn’t trying to be animus. I was just trying to be snarky, in a funny, acerbic way.

No doubt there were people who stood by me in my darkest hour(s) and walked through the muck alongside me. But, none so much as Melanie. From before I even knew I was going to go through hell and back again, Melanie was never afraid to have the hard conversations. Or, if she was, she had them anyway. Some of her words I listened to. Some, I didn’t. She was right, though. She did help me turn my life around, but first, she really pissed me off.

She took what I was unwilling or unable to see and held the mirror right in front of my face. She held the truth firmly with both hands and didn’t let it go. But, what was more important, is she didn’t walk away from me. She said the hard stuff and stuck around while I worked it out. She may not have liked me very much for a while, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she loved(s) me. Only love can deal such a hard hand and then walk the road with you.

My path is crowded with people who have chosen to walk my journey with me. They don’t fight my fights for me, but they advocate for me, they encourage me, or they say “Muscle up, Buttercup!” and push me back into the ring. This is love in its purest form. Their rallying around, beside, under, and over me became the battle cry that resounded in my heart as I fought to find the lost girl inside. They became my people.

I hope we all find our people. And I hope we have enough courage to be those people who hold the mirror for someone else.

 

Your experiences will be yours. but truth and best friendships will rarely, if ever, disappoint you. — Anne Lamott